" I do think about it….More than you'll ever know …."he whispered, putting an ounce of emotion into it-his warm breath tickling her ear while his playful fingers started caressing her bright golden curls. ''You'd be a fool to believe that you no longer have that same dazzling effect on me , Dite …." he continued in her mind, his magnetizing amber moons holding a certain spark in them-that special kind that could always bring an instant smile on his sisters' lips.
''What about Amytis ?Why? I just don't get it Ar…" the wretched question came, once again bringing his past sins way too close to the present for his liking …..He did see it coming though- that accursed subject held no surprise for him, not anymore ….Everything appeared to revolve around his ex flame-Tartarus, maybe even the Sun itself was centered around her, after all …..
''….Let's just say she was a good enough fuck to keep me interested at first…pure business later on…." he unabashedly answered, looking her dead in the eyes as he said it. He wanted her to know that he was telling the truth. No more secrets- not in that department, anyway. Having her by his side had proved to be vital more times than he cared to remember...She was one of the very few people he could always rely on no matter what, and he was determined to keep it that way.
'' Business?!'' she incredulously retorted, blood boiling in her veins. ''What about Cupid ?! Ares you refused to even listen to me that night when I told you she had tried to poison him ….You slapped me, accusing me that …." she broke out, completely ignoring their whereabouts.
"Shhhh! "he interrupted, glancing worriedly at his Princess'sleeping form. ''Well , you did say that I was under her spell, did you not ? " he harshly bit back inside her mind, brushing her right cheek into an almost apologetic manner a mere second later.
''This can't possibly be an excuse for everything that happened, Ar'….You were with other women before , we did agree on seeing other people- so it shouldn't have been such a big deal But ….I don't know. You vanished – I guess that is the right word…You just vanished from my life , and I needed you so much! There were so many moments when I only wanted to talk to you , to tell you stuff that happened ….stuff that I heard….stuff I had on my mind….And you were nowhere to be found- and even when you were physically present, your mind was always elsewhere. You were never there for me anymore. Most of the time, I just needed my big brother back …'' she confessed, tears streaming down her beautiful, porcelain visage, silently cursing herself for her weakness. She had promised herself so many times that she would never again cry because of him, that she had lost count.
'' By the Fates, Dite, I'm so sorry , I …''
''And then , Xe came along ….Don't get me wrong, I like her ,but ….It's just that I feel like there's no longer a place for me in your life ….'' she finally confessed,barely resisting the urge to burst into an endless waterfall of childlike tears. She just had to get it all out of her system once and for all. She desperately needed to move on, and though she was well aware deep inside her fragile little heart that what they once shared did belong to a timeline that would neever return, for some reason, a part of her was still clinging to that particular state of mind …..
''How could you even think something like that, Luv ?" he questioned, barely managing to control the panic in his voice, his hands now gently framing her face. ''There is no one in this universe who could ever replace you. I thought I made that pretty clear…''
''You did …But then, everything I knew about us changed overnight. And you were no longer by my side to shatter my any doubt….'' she mechanically answered, biting her lower lip once the words left her mind, as if aware that she shouldn't have said them…
''How can I fix this ? Just tell me and I'll do it...''
''How can you mend a broken heart , huh ? Now that's a question for the ages, Stud. " she bitterly laughed, and for a split-second, despite all the tension and the drama, the War God could swear he noticed a glimpse of joy sparkling on the surface of her watery eyes.
" Time heals all wounds- at least that's what mortals always say.''she finally murmured, slowly pushing his hands aside. '' Just make sure you don't repeat the same mistakes with Xe. She's only human. She would never understand or tolerate such indiscretions ….You're walking on eggshells Ar, so be careful….'' she made sure to warn him right before she vanished from the room .
''By the way ….I also lifted her spell.'' her voice echoed from the aether. " I was right- again. That bitch has long tentacles….''
''Thanks, Sis ''
''No problemo…''
A subtle scent of roses soon filled his nostrils, making him sigh as the classic shower of peach pink petals she always left behind was just touching the ground. As if in slow motion, and with a rather uncharacteristic delicacy, the War God bent to pick one, cradling it in the palm of his hand with an infinite care. It was smooth and silky just like his sister's skin, he couldn't help thinking- its surreal beauty instantly transporting him a few centuries into the distant past of some still illegally vivid memories…
Xena's low moan did bring him back to reality in less than a blink tough. Before he knew it, her captivating opal blue eyes fluttered open, unusually restless but as mesmerizing as always, impatiently looking around the room –probably searching for him, he thought.
Truth be told, the very instant she spotted him, he could definitely feel her heartbeat lower at a more decent level. Why was she so alarmed in the first place?
"Morning Sunshine …..'' he lovingly greeted, without moving an inch from where he was standing, still waiting for a reaction clear enough to signal that she wasn't opposed to him being there.
''Morning. '' she muttered, barely suppressing a yawn. ''What time is it ? Did I oversleep?"' she asked, struggling to properly connect those words-her mind still in a fog.
'' Time to kill some pesky peasants, that's for sure!'' his response came on the most dramatic tone one could imagine.'' Gods know those soldiers are in desperate need for entertainment…They are hours away from stabbing each other out of boredom.'' the War God added, a charming, devilish grin accompanying that line.
''And whose fault is that War God ? ''she sharply bit back, finally getting out of bed - looking around for her leathers. She could just swear she hadn't gone to sleep wearing that absurd red silk negligee- that Ares had already mentally ripped off her at least a dozen times since he materialized in her tent.
'' Fair point …Believe it or not, for once I'm actually willing to take the blame….'' he jokingly stated, making no effort what so ever to hide the utter amusement at his Chosen's obvious discomfort. She was feverishly looking for that battledress, as if her life depended on it. It was hilarious.
'' May I help you, Darling ?'' he continued, this time in a low, provocative voice, as she bent down to search under the bed, cocking his head to the side for a better view and arching his eyebrows in utter surprise when she gave him an almost murderous stare in return.
''My leathers seem to have disappeared ….'' she sharply announced, casting him an accusing enough glance as to get him out of his comfort zone.
''Whoaaa there ! I have nothing to do with that, sorry …'' he promptly defended himself, leaving only little room for doubt.
She didn't seem to buy it though, since she adamantly refused to break their gaze, expertly drilling him with endless insinuations.
''Cross my heart and hope to die, Sweetheart.'' he finally cleared the air. ''Though, I must admit…the perspective of seeing you on the battlefield wearing only that, would definitely be a dream come true to say the least….''he chuckled, an expression of pure satisfaction painted on his face once a series of extremely enticing and highly realisitic images started flashing before his eyes.
''For you or for the soldiers ?'' she teased, aware that such bold challenge would definitely hit a nerve.
''They would all be blind to your charms, that I can assure you…'' he replied with a wink.
''So ...I would be leading the first army of the blind in recorded history, huh?'' Xena snorted, skillfully reading between the lines.
''With you as a leader, I wouldn't worry about the outcome anyway ….Even with an army of the dead, you would still conquer everything that exists on any given map.' 'he responded in all confidence , eyes sparkling with unveiled pride and enthusiasm.
In response, Xena just took a deep breath, silently wondering if Aphrodite's claim -that he might have been under Amytis'spell all along – could have been in fact true. There was something different about him, from his smile and his gaze to the intensity of the connection she felt between them….something had indeed changed…Her heart raced at the thought, shock briefly crossing her face.
''Princess?''
His voice pulled her brutally out of her musing .
''Fine…. whatever- you have nothing to do with it. Anyway…Could you help me with a battledress, since you're here ?!" she muttered hesitantly, her thoughts still in disarray.
''Why certainly, my dear, whatever you need.'' he retorted, his words ragged, stressing that last part while making sure to materialize a gorgeous battle dress on her bed- an intricate black and blue pattern, mid long with a sexy double split…both practical and unforgettable.
Just like an annoying, way too spoiled child, she took a long, totally displeased look at the outfit….Way too pretentious for the lame battle ahead- only a few meaningless villages to plunder on her way to Corinth...
''Is everything ok ?" he felt the need to ask, instantly observing her disapproval, and by now, he was so close that he could physically feel both warmth and frustration radiating from her divine body.
''Perfect ….''she mumbled unintelligibly- definitely not in the mood to argue with him over a freaking dress- her muscles tensing visibly at his nearness.
He hadn't touched her yet, but he was right there, just a few inches behind her, and as always, his presence was irrationally overwhelming. It was the strangest thing in the world. At the same time, she felt more comfortable around him than she had felt with anyone in her life but despite that, she was always ridiculously nervous and barely able to control herself-a huge minus when it came to their realtionship, that's for sure.
Even when he was not around, she could still sense the dark lust and that rich palette of emotions usually radiating from his godly form, lingering on her skin for awhile before they expertly found a way to slowly and subtly inject themselves into her veins. She could distinctly feel him in her blood- something close to liquid mercury, tempting and hot but toxic- a deadly poison for which there was no antidote.
For a few moments, she could actually hear her own breath becoming gradually more and more labored. By the time she realized she was supposed to make an effort to act normal, he was already brazenly pushing the straps of her negligee down her shoulders, his teeth grazing lightly the beautifully bronzed skin of her collarbone, curling his hand around her neck, eyes blazing as the ache to feel that she still belonged to him started to once again invade his senses at an alarming pace.
She had no way of knowing it, but her scent alone was driving the War God crazy and as his thumb began massaging her lips, he took a second to close his eyes- enough as to deeply inhale the subtle perfume of her dark onyx hair. She smelt like late midnight and rain all together and by all gods and goddesses for him that was way beyond outrageously sexy…
''Ares…'' she firmly interrupted, turning around in his arms so that she could somehow break free from the enthralling trance he was gradually luring her into. ''I really need to get the men ready ….''
In response, he just pulled her a few inches closer, enough as to easily feel the savage drumming of her heart, and soon, his rough moan blended with her helpless, airy sigh as his tongue parted her lips- his mouth crushing hers with an almost beastly need to own her, to enslave her, to somehow chain her to him so that she could never leave his side.
Mindless with desire as he felt her nails raking his nape, unconsciously asking for more, he deepened that kiss to the point that he nearly left her breathless. His fingers, now fully entangled in her hair made sure she wasn't going anywhere, and indeed, he was seconds away from pushing her back down that bed eager to continue what they had started hours before when she abruptly put an end to that incredibly steamy scene.
''I definitely don't want to be held responsible for their early demise….''
It took him a bit to realize what on Zeus'green earth she was talking about, but that slight frown on her forehead was more than enough to let him know that pushing for more was clearly not a good idea, and even though a rather smart comeback was already tickling the tip of his naughty tongue, threatening to escape, he didn't fight her on that.
''Fine….Far from me to stand in the way of your sacred duties , My Lady…Do save those poor souls…'' he sighed- a mixture of both delight and despair in his voice- graciously placing a loving kiss on the tips of her fingers, still refusing to completely release her from his arms.
''And yet '' he casually continued, making sure he had her undivided attention, while with a barely perceivable gesture, he materialized that stunning battledress on her flawless form.''There's this little something I would like you to do for me before you conquer the world ….''
Her frown soon turned into confusion.
''…What's that …?'' she hesitantly asked, certain that his request was only meant to get on her nerves.
Within a blink, two bowls full of fruit salad appeared on the table, right next to them.
''Have breakfast with me. '' he courteously invited, offering her a sit.
''I don't have time for this, Ares. Plus, since when do you have breakfast ?'' she dismissively refused, eager to start organizing her troops already.
''You haven't eaten properly for days. The last thing I want is for my star employee to fall off her horse because she's too weak to ride….''
''That's a bit far fetched, don't you think?'' she bluntly contradicted, unwilling to at least consider such dramatic scenario.
''Maybe….I wouldn't want to risk it though.''
As she didn't seem very convinced by his little speech, another wave of his hand was all it took for the battledress to vanish from her body, leaving her completely naked before him, again.
''It's either the salad or another exquisite day in bed….Your choice- though I would personally go for the second option….''he openly suggested, his hungry gaze now unhurriedly studying each and every curve of her luscious body….
A snarl of fury preceded the Warrior Princess' decision. That very moment, she would have loved nothing more than to stab him with that silver fork...
''That's a good girl ''he encouraged, placing a loud smooch on the top of her head. ''Eat up " he added as soon as he took a sit in front of her, doing his very best to keep a straight face.
For the next two minutes or so, a deep, heavy silence filled the room. As expected, the dark haired Warrior Princess did everything in her power to avoid looking his way. She did give up her stubbornness when Ares gallantly asked if she needed honey for the salad or any other type of dressing.
''It's just right, thank you ''she replied with a half smile, taking a small bite out of a surpisingly delicious slice of kiwi. The Bastard had been rightafter all- she wasn't hungry- she was starving ….
''Are you busy today ?'' she suddenly inquired, her gorgeous azure moons finally searching for his own .
''Nothing major …Why do you ask, Princess ?'' he demanded to know, sounding particularly intrigued by her unexpected question.
''I was thinking that maybe you could join us on the raid …''she casually articulated, pensively running her index over her left brow.
Needless to say, the War God was puzzled . She had never before asked for anything similar.
''Why would you even need my presence there ? It's not like you're facing the entire Athenian army by yourself….It's just a bunch of villagers that will probably fight back with pitchforks and stakes….What's the catch ?''
''No catch. Just humour me …''she replied and this time her tonality held a tinge of subtle but quite impossible to miss sexuality to it. ''I'd like you by my side today …''
''If it pleases you…..'' he simply agreed, eying her suspiciously . She was up to something, his Princess. He could tell …..
''Do finish your salad first if you want that dress back '' he jokingly reminded her, his vicious gaze once again fixed on the rise and fall of her amazingly sculpted breasts. She was a sight to see…..''